(A bit long~~~)
First of all, the history of the Castlevania series
Castlevania--Memories of Time
Don’t think that this is an introduction to a new work in the Castlevania series. The purpose of this article is to review the storyline of the Castlevania series as comprehensively as possible and review the characteristics of each game.
The vampire Count Dracula (there are many translations in China, but the author thinks "Dracula" is relatively close) is a folktale widely circulated in Europe. Due to different regions, people's descriptions and stories of Dracula are slightly different. What really made people understand him was the novel "Dracula" written by Bram Stoker in 1897. KONAMI's Castlevania series is based on the plot of this novel.
This is how vampires are described in the novel: Vampires must drink human blood to survive and infect those human victims. In this way, when the infected victims die, they will not really die, but will become vampires, crawling out of the grave to persecute other people. Vampires are afraid of sunlight, so they can only be active at night; if they are during the day, their abilities will be greatly reduced, they have no magic, no power, and sometimes they are even weaker than ordinary humans (this is different from many stories about vampires) , in most stories, vampires will turn to ashes and die after seeing sunlight). Garlic and crosses sedated them; holy water burned their skin. Although most of them are from humans, after becoming vampires, they will have the ability to incarnate. They can turn into a bat; a wolf or turn into a puff of smoke and fly away with the wind... Throughout the Castlevania series, our protagonist uses an inherited whip called the VampireKiller to kill vampires. But the weapon that can really subdue a vampire is not a whip, and the method is much more complicated than whipping: first, use a long spike to pierce the vampire's heart, then cut off his head as quickly as possible and stuff his mouth. full of garlic and placed face down; or after a spike pierces the heart, put it in its own coffin and submerge it in a person's depth of water. In this way, vampires will never be reincarnated...
Okay, let's turn the topic back and look at the entire Castlevania series:
The name of the game "Castlevania" in Japan It was "Castlevania Dracula" and later developed into "Castlevania Dracula X". In North America and Europe, this series is called "CastleVania". Since the plot of the Castlevania series does not develop in the order in which the games were launched, here we will first follow the storyline and then review the entire series chronologically.
The Legend of Castlevania:
The evil protagonist of this series is the vampire Count Dracula, whose purpose is to use the power of darkness to rule the world. The righteous party is the Belmont family, who have superhuman strength and live in Romania. Their mission is to stop the vampire count's dark plan at all costs.
So far, the earliest story in Castlevania legend takes place in 1475. At that time, Count Dracula appeared in the world, killed countless people and gathered a considerable number of henchmen, preparing to cover the entire world with darkness. At this time, a person with the blood of the Belmont family stood up, Sonia Belmont (Sonia Belmont), this is the only woman who appears in the Belmont family in the Castlevania series. She accepted her fate of fighting Count Dracula and defeated Dracula using her family's unique superhuman strength. People should have been grateful to this heroine who brought light to the world again, but many people were shocked by her magical and powerful power. Some people actually thought that this would bring disaster to mankind again, so, The Belmont family was wronged and exiled.
The game corresponding to this story is "Castlevania Dracula - Dark Prelude" launched on GameBoy in 1997. We can clearly see Sonia's ponytail in the game.
In 1492, Count Dracula began to act again. He led his men to kill people crazily and held various sacrifices for his resurrection.
This time, his purpose is twofold: to create a world full of darkness and destroy the entire Belmont family! For more than a decade, he had dreamed of one day realizing both of his wishes. But for a vampire, any dream about the Belmont family will eventually turn into a nightmare. People in Romania felt fear, no one likes death. They are looking for a hero, someone with the blood of the Belmont family to eliminate vampires for them. Fortunately, they found a member of the Belmont family: Sonia's brother Trevor Belmonts. Now, Trevor has received an order from his family to destroy the vampire count immediately! So, Trevor picked up the baptized whip and embarked on the journey of destiny.
Unlike Sonia who fights alone, Trevor is accompanied by three companions: Grant DaNasty, Sypha Belnades and Alucard, the son of Count Dracula.
After all the hard work, Trevor and his party finally defeated Count Dracula. The count will sleep in his coffin for a hundred years. Through this lesson, the Romanians realized the sins they had committed, and they took the Belmont family back to their hometown.
The game corresponding to this story is "Castlevania III - Castlevania Legend" launched on the Nintendo 8-bit machine in 1989.
Every hundred years, the power of justice will mysteriously and gradually weaken. This gives Dracula a good opportunity for resurrection. In 1592, in a disturbing dark night, Count Dracula emerged from the tomb. He swore that if he was defeated again this time, he would never let himself sleep in a coffin alone! At the same time, his destined opponent, Simon Belmont, came to him. Simon is the grandson of Trevor. He has been trained by Sonia and Trevor, so he has extremely powerful power. But Simon never expected that this time the vampire Earl would be more vicious than before. After defeating the Earl, he would always feel severe pain in his chest. It turns out that the Earl placed a curse on Simon at the end of the battle, and Simon's illness will become worse and worse until he finally dies. In this way, the Belmont family will be extinct from now on, and no one will stop Dracula in the next hundred years.
At this moment, the old man in the village told Simon that there was only one way to break the curse: to resurrect Count Dracula again and then burn him to death. In this way, Simon embarks on a journey to find the count's body. But things are not that simple. The count will not let Simon find his body so easily. Before the final battle, he ordered his most loyal men to decompose his body after his death, scatter it to various places, and guard it with their lives.
Japanese version: "Castlevania Dracula"
US version: "CastleVania"
Japanese version: "Castlevania Dracula: The Seal of the Curse"
US version: "CastleVania II: Simon's Quest"
This century-old story corresponds to two games: Nintendo's Castlevania generation "Castlevania Dracula". The story of this work ends as of Simon defeats Dracula for the first time. The story of Simon's search for Dracula's remains became Castlevania II: "Castlevania Dracula: Seal of the Curse", which is why the American version is called "CastleVania II: Simon's Quest". After Simon found the remains of the vampire Earl, he resurrected him, and finally defeated him for the second time, releasing the curse on himself.
Sleeping again, Dracula woke up in 1692. This time he thought that he would no longer be afraid of the Belmont family after experiencing so many failures. But Christopher Belmont used his whip to tell the count that he was too naive to think so. But Christoffel did not succeed in sealing the count this time, and he escaped again. I hope to find a way to subdue Christoffel. At this time, the count suddenly discovered Christophel's son Soleiyu, and he kidnapped the child without hesitation and warned Christoffel to be careful in the next duel.
Dracula once again made the wrong calculation, and what he did further angered Christophel. Christophel not only rescued his son, but also sealed Count Dracula for another hundred years with a whip full of anger. Year...
"The Legend of Dracula"
"The Legend of Dracula II"
There are two works corresponding to this legend, both of which were launched on the GameBoy. The Legend of Dracula (1989) and The Legend of Dracula II (1991).
In 1792, an evil priest named Shaft brought fear to the world again. Shaft longs for infinite power, and the only person who can help him achieve his wish is the vampire Count Dracula, so he needs to revive the count again. After Shafut's dark sacrifice, the count's eyes opened again, and it made people feel that the count seemed to have learned something from the last battle. He learned that the descendant of the Belmont family at this time was named Richter Belmont. After observing Lichter for a period of time, the count discovered that Lichte also had a girlfriend: Annette Renard. So I secretly made up my mind to succeed this time. This time the Count led his evil army and kidnapped Annette, her sister Maria Lannard, the village nun Tara and the village doctor's daughter Iris, and set up a An ambush awaits Licht. Licht knew clearly that there were traps in the castle, but for the sake of his innocent friends and his beloved Annette, he embarked on an uncertain journey...
Shortly after the journey began, Licht Maria was rescued, and the two of them rescued other friends and sealed the count in the coffin again.
"Castlevania Dracula XX"
"Castlevania Dracula X: Reincarnation of Blood"
There are also two games describing this plot: in 1993 "Castlevania Dracula
Four years later, in 1796, an evil priest named Shaft brought fear to the world again. Shaft longs for infinite power, and the only person who can help him achieve his wish is the vampire Count Dracula. So the Count needs to be revived again; Shaft knows that in order to bring the Count back to life, he must clear the only obstacle: Licht Belmont. On a full moon night, Shafut secretly cast a spell on Licht, causing Licht to lose his mind. When the people woke up the next day, they found that their hero was missing. From that day on, many strange things happened one after another in Dracula's castle. Some people even saw Licht siding with Dracula on the evil side! Maria, who was a little girl back then, has now grown up to be a young girl. She knows that Licht will never become friends with his old enemy. There must be another reason for this, so she rushes into Dracula's castle alone. And this huge alternation between good and evil awakened Alkader, who was sleeping in the coffin. Alkader had been sleeping in his coffin since the last time he fought side by side with Trevor, hoping that time could seal him away. Cursed bloodline. After waking up, he learned the truth from Maria, so he defeated Shafut and came directly to his father, Count Dracula...
The story here is about the very familiar "Devil" City DraculaX - Symphony of a Night under the Moon" (1997).
Time passed like this day by day, and people lived in peace and prosperity again. No one thought about the future, let alone worried about the future. Just in 1847, an evil shadow once again awakened the master of Castlevania: Count Dracula! Peace and prosperity soon became a thing of the past, and terrifying clouds once again blocked the sun - another horrific massacre.
This time, fate arranged for two people to fight Dracula, Reinhart Schneider and Carrie Fernandez. By Reinhardt's generation, the Belmont surname had been lost. But the Belmont family blood still flows through Reinhardt. His father often warned him: "Our destiny is to fight vampires, there is no other choice." The 12-year-old girl Kerry is a descendant of Sypha Belnades , the descendants of Western France moved to other places to live. Due to the difference in local spelling, Belnades became Fernandez.
This plot appeared in the Nintendo 64 version of "Castlevania: Apocalypse" in 1999.
In 1897, the dark cloud of terror will once again envelope the earth. At this time, two brave warriors stood up: Quince Morris and Jonathan Harker. The two men worked together to stab a dagger into the heart of the sleeping Count Dracula, but Dracula, who woke up, gave Quincey a fatal blow with all his strength before dying, so Quincey also passed away shortly after the death of the count. However, no one noticed that Quincey's son John witnessed the entire incident in a very hidden place...
Not long ago, in 1917, a witch accidentally discovered something while using dark magic. Resurrected Elizabeth Bartley. She is a confessed vampire, confessing her sins in a coffin. But this sudden incident made her change her mind. What a coincidence: Elizabeth is Dracula's niece. When she learned about the count, she vowed to resurrect her uncle. And John Morris, who once witnessed his father being killed by a vampire, became the warrior who challenged the devil this time. He and his friend Eric Lecarde embarked on a journey to defeat Bartley and Dracula...
The story of 1897 does not seem to have a game counterpart. The plot that took place in 1917 was adapted into "Vampire Killer" on the Mega Drive in 1994.
Okay, so far, we have reviewed the plot of the Castlevania series chronologically. KONAMI is currently producing the DreamCast version of "Castlevania: Resurrection", but there is not enough information to introduce it to everyone, so I can only say sorry to you.
Now, let’s review each generation of games according to the year they were released:
1986. The first game in the Castlevania series, "Castlevania Dracula" (named Vampire Killer in the US version), is available on MSX computers. The story is actually a simplified version of the Nintendo version (which can also be said to be the basis of the Nintendo version). The screen is similar to the FC version of Castlevania, but due to hardware limitations, the game does not have any scrolling functions (including horizontal scrolling). That is to say, if the character walks from the left to the right of the screen, the screen will not follow the movement of the character. After walking to the right, the screen will flip to the next screen. The music is also harsh. There are 18 levels in this game. Different from the later works of Castlevania, Simon has to find the corresponding key to pass the level. This adds some simple RPG elements to the game. The whole game is extremely difficult, and there is no Continue, no Save, and no password to pass the level. The player can only rely on the player to clear the level in one go. The author has not heard of any expert beating this game. Some people even say that this game does not cheat. It is absolutely impossible to pass the level!
In the same year, Castlevania was launched on arcades as an action game called "Haunted Castle". However, KONAMI did not introduce this game to Japan, so only the American and British versions can be seen. The plot of the story is very simple. The protagonist Simon (this should be the character who appears the most in the Castlevania series) has just gotten married. When they were about to go on their honeymoon, Dracula snatched Simon's wife away.
Simon would never let his wife become a vampire, so he waved his whip and embarked on a journey to defeat vampires. The arcade version of Castlevania *** has 6 levels. Like most arcade games at that time, after level 6 is played, the more difficult level 1 will become level 7 and continue (but the game itself is already very difficult). Difficult! ).
The graphics of Haunted Castle are extremely gorgeous, the proportions of the characters are quite large, and KONAMI has also worked hard on the details of the game, so this game looks very good even today.
US version: "CASTLEVANIA"
Japanese version: "Castlevania Dracula"
In 1986, the most sensational game in the Castlevania series was "Castlevania Dracula" The Japanese version (the Castlevania generation) appeared on Nintendo's disk drive. The upgradeable whip, holy water bottle, and cross, as well as smooth movements, gorgeous graphics, and beautiful music (all at the time) made all players with disk drives crazy! Level 6 of the game has Continue, but there is no password. When you pass level 6, the game will restart from the first level, with the difficulty doubled, but more hidden treasures added. In 1987, the American version of "CastleVania" was released on cassette, which immediately caused a sensation, so KONAMI quickly ported the game to various platforms, including PC, Amiga and Commodore 64. The Japanese cassette version of "Castlevania Dracula" was only launched in 1993, so it is very rare in China. The difference from the English version is the addition of a new "Easy" mode.
In 1988, Castlevania released the Japanese disk version of the sequel "Castlevania: Seal of the Curse", and the American version of the cassette was called "Castlevania II: Simon's Quest" (Castlevania II: Simon's Quest). This work has not been released in Japanese cassette version. The story continues the plot development of the previous generation, but because the plot is "searching", the game has changed from a simple action game to an ARPG. The game has no concept of levels. Players can move around to find Dracula's remains; and the game introduces time-changing Concept, when you enter the forest at night, you will find that the demon is much stronger than during the day. Compared with the first generation, this game requires players not only to be agile, but also to use their brains, otherwise some puzzles cannot be solved. In addition, the game also has a limit on the overall completion time. If the time is too long, you will not be able to see the Good Ending. The American version of the game uses password memory, while the Japanese disk uses the save function.
Japanese version: "The Legend of Dracula"
US version: "CastleVania Adventure"
In 1989, "The Legend of Dracula" was launched on GameBoy. This work can Said to be the worst one in the entire Castlevania series. Regardless of the expressiveness of the black and white display of the GameBoy itself, the picture is not good, and the operability of the game is also very poor. When the characters jump, you can only see heights but not distances. If you encounter a deep ditch and still jump according to the method of the previous Castlevania series, , then death is certain, and the background music of the game is also mediocre. But some new actions have been added, such as climbing ropes, etc.; after obtaining the treasure, the whip can also emit fireballs. ***Level 4. The American version was released in 1991, called "CastleVania Adventure".
Japanese version: "Castlevania III"
US version: "Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse"
In the same year, the ultimate masterpiece "Devil" on the 8-bit Nintendo "City Legend" (cassette version) is now available! For some unknown reason, the author never found this work at that time, and it was not until nine years later in 1998 that I was lucky enough to see it. The game takes Nintendo's level to the extreme. The gameplay is very similar to the same generation, but the graphics and music have been greatly improved. It also introduces the concept of companions and branching plots. There are 15 levels in the game. It is a game that can make people enjoy the game. A masterpiece that forgets to eat and sleep! The American version of "Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse" released in 1990 was also very popular.
Here is a brief introduction to the three companions who appeared in this work: Grant DaNasty was originally a pirate. After learning that his family was all killed by Dracula, he was determined to seek revenge from the count, but he did not succeed. Instead, he was turned into a monster to guard the bell tower. Trevor met Grant on his way to defeat vampires and helped him undo the spell on him, so Grant became Trevor's companion. Sypha Belnades was also a Vampire Hunter, but she was defeated when fighting the Cyclops and was turned to stone. When Trevor defeated the Cyclops, Sypha also returned to adulthood and fought with Trevor. Alucard is the son of Dracula, and his mother is human, so Alucard is half human. When Alucard grew up, he discovered that his father was not on the right path, so Alucard began to stand up against his father. After meeting Trevor, they became companions. (If you look carefully, you will find that Alucard is Dracula spelled in reverse order).
Japanese version: "Castlevania Dracula"
US version: "Super CastleVania 4"
In 1991, Castlevania launched the SFC version, and the US version was called "Super CastleVania 4" (Super Castlevania 4), the Japanese version is still called "Castlevania Dracula" (number Sf8025). Although the American version has the word "4" in its name, there is no new story in the entire game. It can be said that it is just a repackaging of Nintendo's previous generation. Although the plot is repetitive, the work still succeeds, the key lies in the smooth action and large-scale characters. ***Level 12, capacity is 8Mb. Due to the use of the performance of 16-bit computers, there are many excellent scenes in the game, such as swinging chandeliers, etc., and the protagonist's actions have also been added a lot, such as being able to whip a whip diagonally and use the whip to swing himself to the cliff. Go to the other end. The biggest difference between this work and other works is the darker tone.
"The Legend of Dracula II"
"CastleVania: Belmont's Revenge"
Also in 1991, GameBoy's "The Legend of Dracula" launched a sequel "The Legend of Dracula II" (The US version is CastleVania: Belmont's Revenge, Castlevania: Belmont's Revenge). Due to the lessons learned from the failure of the previous work, the playability of this work has been greatly improved. There are 7 levels in the game. Players can choose which initial level to start playing from the beginning. The game will use password memorization.
In 1993, another excellent work in the Castlevania series was launched on NEC's PC-Engine. "Castlevania DraculaX: Cycle of Blood" is the first CD-ROM game in the Castlevania series. Due to the large capacity of the CD, "Reincarnation of Blood" is the first and only game in the Castlevania series to use CD music as the background music of the game. The magnificent background music fully sets off the atmosphere of the entire game, and its expressive power No less impressive than 1997's "Symphony of the Night." There are also many things to like in terms of graphics. KONAMI has even created many oversized characters on 8-bit machines that can only be seen on 16-bit machines. There are also many magical effects with surprising effects, which are very bold to play. As for the system, the game uses the memory area, and for the first time there is the concept of completion. When connecting to a level, you can clearly see the current completion percentage. The branch plot has also been greatly enhanced in this game. The branch is no longer the player's choice. Instead, there is a secret passage hidden in a specific level. If you find the secret passage, you can enter the branch. After completing one branch, if you do not find the next branch, entrance, then it will return to the main plot. When joining the level, the protagonist can be replaced by Maria (who is she? She is the girl in Symphony of the Night). If you want to know how she dresses in the PCE version, fight Dracula at the beginning of Symphony of the Night If you die on purpose once, Maria will summon the holy beast to replenish your physical strength. Maria at this time will be exactly the same as the PCE version.) This game has not released a US version.
Also in 1993, KONAMI launched "Castlevania Dracula" on the X68000 computer. This is the rarest work in the entire Castlevania series, because the X68000 is a computer sold only in Japan, and the penetration rate is not 100%, and not all X68000 users will buy this game and be able to play it. The game is truly a blessing. The author has not seen this game yet, but judging from some of the pictures I have found so far, this is a version of Castlevania that has been improved again based on the SFC version of "Super Castlevania 4". All levels and enemies have been completely redesigned. Extensively renovated.
Japanese version: "Vampire Killer"
US version: "CastleVania: Bloodlines"
European version: "CastleVania: The New Generation"
In 1994, only one work in the Castlevania series was released: "Vampire Killer" on MegaDrive. This work not only has an American version, but also has a European version released separately for the European region for the first time. US version: "CastleVania: Bloodlines" (Castlevania: Bloodlines), European version: "CastleVania: The New Generation" (Castlevania: New Age). If it weren't for the name of the American version, many people wouldn't think it was a Castlevania series, because... because the changes have been too great! First of all, the treasures have changed. A typical symbol of the Castlevania series is to light up candles and eat hearts, but this time the hearts have been replaced by gems. The clothing of the characters has also changed greatly, of course, this is related to the story era of the game. Then there are two protagonists to choose from at the beginning, and the other one uses a fork. Next comes the stage. Except for this work, almost all other stories take place in Dracula's castle, but this work expands the layout to the entire Europe: Germany, Rome... The scenes are extremely grand, giving full play to the 2D function of MD. . The game has 6 levels, use password memory.
Japanese version: "Castlevania: DraculaXX"
US version: "Castlevania: Dracula Capacity was launched on the Super Nintendo (the US version was CastleVania: Dracula X, number Sf16218). The plot of this work is exactly the same as the PCE version of "Reincarnation of Blood", but the graphics are more beautiful, making it an excellent work. The most interesting thing is that except for the similarity between the first level and the final Dracula, it is difficult to see the connection between the two works in other levels. Even the bosses in each level are different. The branch plots change greatly, and the castle map is very beautiful. It can be said to be another branch of "Reincarnation of Blood". This game has 7 levels and uses password memory. The only drawback is that the music expression is not strong (it is actually quite good, but it is naturally much worse than the CD version).
Japanese version: "Castlevania: Symphony of the Night"
US version: "CastleVania: Symphony of the Night"
In 1997, Demon The top work of the Castlevania series: "Castlevania DraculaX: Symphony of the Night" was released on SONY PlayStation, and the American version is called "Castlevania: Symphony of the Night". The plot follows the development of "Reincarnation of Blood". At the beginning of the game, the scene in "Reincarnation of Blood" in which Licht defeated Dracula was replayed, and then the plot of the game was explained in text. So this time the protagonist is changed to Arkad, because Arkad is a vampire himself, so he can also transform.
With the help of the powerful functions of PS, the gorgeous graphics, beautiful background music, etc. inherent in the Castlevania series are brought to the extreme here! If you have played all the works in the Castlevania series, you will find that there are not many original elements in the game, but KONAMI has condensed all the popular elements in this work, using the "Curse Seal" open stage ARPG game format, and also introduces fighting game moves, which greatly increases the fun of the game. In 1998, KONAMI transplanted this work to SEGA Saturn. Due to functional limitations, we cannot see the afterimage behind Arkad, but two new pages and many new props were added, and the PS version can be directly used as a supporting character. Licht and Maria make the game still feel fresh to players who have played the PS version.
It can be said that "Castlevania: Symphony of the Night" is the pinnacle of the entire Castlevania series. If you have a next-generation game console, this work is a must-play.
In the same year, the third game in the Castlevania series was released on GameBoy: "Castlevania Dracula: Dark Prelude" (US version: "CastleVania: Legends"). This is on GameBoy The most fun game, both in terms of music and graphics, feels very close to the Castlevania version on Nintendo. In the game, Sonia's whip can shoot fireballs without getting any treasures, making the game relatively simple. Treasures are obtained by defeating the boss in each level. This game supports Super GameBoy and Light GameBoy, with 6 levels and password memory.
In 1999, KONAMI produced the first Castlevania for Nintendo 64. Game: "Castlevania: Apocalypse", this game was first released as the American version of "CastleVania", and the Japanese version was released 3 months later. This is the first time the Castlevania series has appeared in 3D. Since the author does not own an N64, I have only seen it once in a game store. Maybe it is because I am not used to 3D Castlevania. I feel that this game is not very good. It also contains the concepts of day and night, but the overall feeling is more like it. "Nightmare Creature" on PC. It is said that the Japanese version of "Apocalypse" is much improved than the American version, but it is really a pity that I have not seen it yet.
At the end of 1999, KONAMI will be on SEGA. The second 3D work of Castlevania is launched on DreamCast using GD-ROM as the media: "Castlevania: Resurrection". Judging from the pictures released so far, the pictures are quite gorgeous, but I don't know whether the 3D Castlevania is still operable. Will it be as good as the original 2D game?